Ranked by recorded winter water temperature: Tasmania, Victoria, the South Australian sinkholes and the Southern Ocean coast, where 11–13 °C is the winter norm and drysuits are standard equipment.
Updated daily from the directory. 25 sites listed.
1. Tasmania Freshwater & Caves · TAS
Kubla Khan Cave Sump (Mole Creek)
Winter water: 6-8 °C · Site of Tasmania's first cave dive (1959) - a 1.1 km zero-visibility sump, for expedition cave divers only.
Cave/CavernDepth not publishedExpert/TechnicalCave/Cavern certificationShore accessMore in Tasmania Freshwater & Caves →
2. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Otago Hulk (Otago Bay)
Winter water: 8-11 °C · Remains of the only ship Joseph Conrad ever commanded, visible in the shallows of the Derwent.
3. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Tinderbox Marine Reserve
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Hobart's shore-dive reserve with an underwater snorkel trail, weedy seadragons and easy access.
4. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Blackmans Bay
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Two easy shore dives in one suburban bay – crevice-rich reef at the blowhole and a giant kelp patch at the south point.
5. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Kingston Beach (Handfish site)
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Easy suburban shore and night dive on the edge of the spotted handfish's Derwent range, with seahorses and sand critters.
6. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Iron Pot Reef
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Reef, swim-through and small caves beneath Australia's oldest operating lighthouse, 15 minutes from South Arm.
7. Huon & Far South · TAS
Ninepin Point Marine Reserve
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Tannin-darkened Huon water brings deep-water sea whips, sponges and bryozoans into 5-10 m – a rare 'pseudo-deep' reef in a no-take reserve.
8. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Sandy Bay & Battery Point (Handfish)
Winter water: 9-12 °C · A guided search for the critically endangered spotted handfish, a walking fish found almost nowhere else, in Hobart's own waterfront.
9. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
Taroona Marine Reserve (Crayfish Point)
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Lobster-rich research-area reef 15 minutes from Hobart, with kelp beds and easy beach access.
10. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
SS Lake Illawarra
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Tasmania's largest shipwreck lying beneath the Tasman Bridge span it brought down in 1975 – a dark, historically weighty expert dive.
11. Hobart & Derwent · TAS
SS Lintrose
Winter water: 9-12 °C · Twin propellers and engine of a Scottish-built river steamer lying in 2-5 m beside the Iron Pot.
12. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Cathedral Cave
Winter water: 10-13 °C · A huge sea cave system at Waterfall Bay, with chambers you can surface in and walls of colour outside.
13. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Waterfall Bay Wall
Winter water: 10-13 °C · The dolerite wall beneath 100 m cliffs, with kelp, sponge gardens and seals passing through.
14. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Deep Glen Bay North Wall
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Colourful sponge and sea-whip wall that is the fallback when the Sisters are blown out, with seals and seadragons.
15. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Eaglehawk Neck Jetty (Pirates Bay)
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Easy shore and night dive at the departure jetty with a good chance of weedy seadragons.
16. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Fortescue Bay
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Easy shore access to one of the last giant kelp forests on the Tasman Peninsula, with camping on the beach.
17. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Little Waterfall Bay
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Caves and swim-throughs on the Tasman Peninsula in clear water.
18. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Patersons Arch
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Big daylight swim-through arches lined with anemones – cave scenery without the commitment.
19. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Sisters Rocks
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Vertical walls that bloom with sponges, sea whips and anemones below 30 m; regarded as one of Australia's best temperate wall dives.
20. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Sloping Island Kelp Forest
Winter water: 10-13 °C · One of the few giant kelp forests within reach of Hobart, with seahorses in easy depths.
21. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Adventure Bay (Bruny Island)
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Historic bay (Cook, Bligh) with sheltered shore dives and boat access to Fluted Cape, Penguin Island and Cape Connella.
22. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Hippolyte Rocks
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Remote seal-colony islets with bull kelp shallows, sponge reefs from 30 m and huge fish schools.
23. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
Munro Bight
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Giant kelp and walls beneath Australia's tallest sea cliffs, with seals – often paired with the Nord.
24. Tasman Peninsula · TAS
O'Hara Bluff Kelp Forest
Winter water: 10-13 °C · One of the remnant giant kelp areas on the Tasman Peninsula and a focus of kelp restoration; seals often play in the canopy.
25. Bruny Island & D'Entrecasteaux Channel · TAS
Penguin Island (Adventure Bay)
Winter water: 10-13 °C · Steep reef and shallow sea caves under Fluted Cape, a short hop from the Adventure Bay ramp.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the coldest diving in Australia?
Tasmania's east coast and Port Phillip Bay drop to 11–13 °C in August; the Mount Gambier sinkholes are a constant 14–16 °C. A drysuit is the norm from May to November.
More rankings
- The 25 Deepest Dive Sites in Australia
- Australia's Most Remote Dive Sites
- The Longest Boat Rides to a Day Dive
- The Warmest Dive Sites in Australia
- Australia's Clearest-Water Dive Sites
- The Most Biodiverse Dive Sites in Australia
- The Oldest Shipwrecks You Can Dive in Australia
- WWII and Wartime Wrecks You Can Dive in Australia
- All rankings →